The Holy Sovereign’s anger lasted for a good while before it finally subsided.
He questioned the four Apostles remaining before him, “Is there any news of the Holy Son yet?”
“Reporting to the Holy Sovereign, not yet,” one of them replied.
“However, according to news from the Right Protector, he has already found a very valuable lead. If we continue to follow that clue, we might be able to discover the Holy Son’s whereabouts.”
The so-called Holy Son was a unique existence that stood above even the Seven Apostles.
Although the Seven Apostles were also viewed as children by the Holy Sovereign, they were, after all, adopted orphans.
The blood flowing in their veins was still that of Great Yan’s people, not the noble shadow race lineage.
However, the Holy Son was a descendant of the shadow race—the Holy Sovereign’s only remaining blood relative!
Nearly 100 years ago, the Former Emperor of Great Yan slew the last foreign beast within the borders and expelled the foreign tribes, later seeking to exterminate the shadow race entirely.
However, despite his thoroughness, a single infant was overlooked.
That infant was adopted by a commoner couple. After growing up, she married and gave birth to a girl.
That girl grew up and married a scholar, but due to physical defects, it was not until her middle age that she miraculously gave birth to a baby girl.
The birth of this baby girl made the couple immensely grateful to the heavens, and they vowed to give their child everything beautiful.
Although the child had been frail and sickly since childhood, she possessed an incredibly brilliant mind in exchange. She inherited her mother’s beauty and her father’s scholarly air; she was a bona fide prodigy.
No one knew that this prodigy was a third-generation shadow race member who had continued the line without the Imperial Family of Great Yan knowing a thing!
Just as this “ordinary” couple thought they could live a stable and happy life, an unimagined disaster befell them.
At that time, the Right Protector of the Demon Sect, who was lurking within the Righteous Faction, came to their village to select gifted and talented children to grant them a “bright future.”
That prodigy, who had grown to the age of 5, naturally caught the Right Protector’s attention.
The brilliance and talent she displayed at only 5 years old deeply shocked the Right Protector. He immediately told her parents that he wished to take the child and cultivate her into a light of the Right Path.
Of course, this was merely a pretext.
As a mole lurking in the Right Path, the Right Protector’s true purpose was to kidnap this prodigy and bring her back to the Demon Sect.
He wanted her to inherit the Holy Sovereign’s Demonic Art and train her to become one of the Demon Sect’s Seven Apostles.
However, to his absolute surprise, while he thought he had simply found a good prospect, he discovered a shadow race birthmark on the prodigy!
The birthmark was in a very obvious location, but if it were even slightly covered, it could easily be overlooked.
The Right Protector was overjoyed at the time; he was determined to take the prodigy no matter what. After all, that was the Demon Sect’s Holy Son!
Facing the Right Protector’s enthusiasm, the prodigy’s parents chose to refuse.
Although they truly hoped their child could become a light of the Right Path and contribute to world peace, her body was simply too frail.
It was impossible for her to cultivate the Martial Dao like others, and even more impossible for her to face future grievances and fight against the forces of The Evil Sect.
The couple only wanted their child to live a peaceful and safe life, so they declined the Right Protector’s request.
Upon hearing this, the Right Protector could only leave the village in regret.
But in the dead of night, the Right Protector led his men into the village and forcibly abducted the prodigy!
The couple, startled awake, put up a fierce resistance to protect their child, only to be brutally murdered by the Right Protector.
Although the prodigy’s mother was also a shadow race descendant, she had grown up as an ordinary person and had long since missed the window to cultivate Demonic Arts.
Therefore, even though shadow race blood flowed through her, she had long been “abandoned” by the race—to the shadow race, this was a necessary sacrifice.
Later, the Right Protector took the prodigy away and found several bandits to take the blame as scapegoats.
He imprisoned the prodigy and told her about her origins and the mission she carried.
“The birthmark on your body proves that you are the last descendant of the shadow race, and furthermore, the Demon Sect’s Holy Son! You carry the shadow race’s mission of vengeance. Everyone in this world is a target for your revenge!”
When the Right Protector spoke these words to the prodigy, all he received in return was endless coldness and Hatred.
The prodigy knew that the man before her had killed her parents and taken away her family, her freedom, and everything else—they were the ones she truly needed to seek revenge against.
The Right Protector felt a chill run down his spine, unnerved by the prodigy’s murderous gaze.
He then sought instructions from the Holy Sovereign on how to deal with this young Lord Holy Son.
The response he received was: “Make her suffer a bit, and tell her that all members of the shadow race have endured such pain at the hands of Great Yan. Only pain can make one remember Hatred.”
The Holy Sovereign wanted to use this method to make the young Holy Son understand how heavy the mission of vengeance she carried was.
The Right Protector did as ordered, forcibly instilling everything regarding revenge and their mission into the prodigy. Whenever she disobeyed or resisted, she was subjected to abuse and beatings.
***
Within a few days, the prodigy was covered in bruises, and several bones in her body were broken. Already frail and sickly, she contracted a malignant illness as a result.
Seeing that the Holy Son still refused to accept her identity even after being beaten like this, the Right Protector was at a loss and asked the Holy Sovereign for advice again.
The Holy Sovereign replied: “Find someone to heal her, then continue the beatings.”
So, the Right Protector went to find a Physician to treat the prodigy’s injuries and illness.
However, when the Right Protector returned to the place of imprisonment with the Physician, he found the corpses of more than ten guards—all of whom had been killed by elaborate design.
And the prodigy, who should have been locked in the cage, had long since vanished without a trace!
A 5-year-old girl had actually managed to kill all the guards and escape despite being covered in injuries and illness?
This brought a massive shock to the Right Protector.
He reported the matter to the Holy Sovereign, expecting severe punishment. Instead, the Holy Sovereign laughed deeply.
“Heh, to be able to do this at only 5 years old—this is exactly how a descendant of our shadow race should be!”
They originally thought they could easily find this prodigy, who was covered in injuries and could barely walk.
But 11 years had passed now, and the Demon Sect still had not found their Holy Son. As for the Right Protector, he was still searching bitterly to this day.
***
In Yuanzhou City, before a Tailor Shop.
“Oh? You’re friends of Master Child of the Wind God? Then you truly are honored guests! Come, come, pick whatever you like!”
The Auntie of the Tailor Shop gave a warm welcome to Yun Qianxue and Su Cheng, who had come from afar.
Seeing Yun Qianxue unable to decide which one to choose for a long time, the Auntie felt a bit awkward and looked at her, hesitating to speak.
“I’m sorry, Auntie. I like all the clothes here, so I don’t know how to choose. It would be wonderful if you could help me pick,” Yun Qianxue explained with a flush.
She was afraid the woman would think she was a Miss from out of town with high standards and a picky attitude.
This explanation dispelled the Auntie’s concerns.
She said with a smile, “Oh, I see! Gosh, you should have said so sooner, young lady. I guarantee I’ll pick out the most suitable outfits for you both and dress you up beautifully!”
“Then I thank you, Auntie,” Yun Qianxue said with a polite bow.
“Exclude the ‘both’ part,” Su Cheng interjected, refusing directly.
It was worth mentioning that although Yun Qianxue had given new clothes to everyone in Among the Colorful Clouds, Su Cheng was the only one who had not put them on.
She still wore the old clothes Yu Yi had prepared for her years ago.
“Oh my, young lady, you clearly have such delicate features and are very pretty. Why do you dress so plainly?”
The Auntie meant no harm as she smiled and said to Su Cheng, “And also, a girl’s forehead is a very beautiful feature. It’s truly a pity to cover it up with your bangs like that~”
Hearing the Auntie’s words, Su Cheng’s expression changed slightly.
She subconsciously toyed with her bangs, seemingly not wanting anyone to see the scar hidden beneath.
It’s the first discipline isn’t it